Roe v. Wade (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

In this propaganda version of history, Roe v. Wade only happened because a giant conspiracy involving the media, the court system, and the medical field forced it to happen since they were so addicted to abortions. This alleged cabal supposedly loved abortion so much that they regularly sang songs about it. If this film is to be believed, all the conspirators ever thought about night and day was abortion, and anyone who stood against them was to be completely ostracized. With movies like these, it’s no wonder that so many people are skeptical of the pro-life movement.

Production Quality (1.5 points)

As a whole, the production of Roe v. Wade is mostly acceptable, including good video quality and camera work. However, audio quality is uneven, as shown by very poor overdubs and an inconsistent soundtrack. Some scenes are very dark while others have odd soft lighting. Sets, locations, and props are passable, but the editing is quite choppy. Cuts and transitions are all over the map, but this aspect of the film is likely due to the utter disaster that is the plot. In the end, the production section is at least average.

Plot and Storyline Quality (-2.5 points)

Seemingly in a mission to become one of the most obnoxious and in-your-face movies since Assassin 33 AD or The Reliant, Roe v. Wade succeeds on all fronts. Beginning with the very first scene, the screenplay’s extreme pro-life message is pushed on the audience via immediate and constant narration that sometimes covers up dialogue. Moreover, it’s not like the conversations are really worth hearing since most of the dialogue is designed for shock factors and propaganda. Not a single spoken line can exist without a fundamentalist agenda being shoved down the viewer’s throat. Elsewhere, tons of content is forced into the narrative, including random asides that continually interrupt the storyline. Large time jumps and information dumps attempt to connect it all together, so all these pitfalls inevitably create wooden characters. The “bad” characters, such as the abortion activists, could not be worse strawmen, and there are generally way too many characters to keep up with. The most disgusting aspects of the issue are obsessed over, and the pro-abortion side of the argument is portrayed in the most evil way possible. Due to the massive amount of content in this film, many sequences are very rushed, leading to a nonsensical and incoherent conclusion. Needless to say, this section easily earns its negative rating.

Acting Quality (0 points)

A majority of the acting in this movie is quite overplayed and disingenuous. Line delivery is robotic, and emotions are forced. It’s extremely difficult to believe that many of the actors and actresses in this bloated cast are taking the matter seriously. Hence, this aspect of the screenplay rounds out an effort that should have never happened.

Conclusion

Much like the production process of Unplanned, the creation of Roe v. Wade was seemingly based on deception as some of the initial cast and crew were allegedly not given complete information about the film’s intentions. Whether or not this claim is fully or partially true, it seems to shed light on the attitude of the movie’s creators: produce propaganda at any cost and through any means necessary. Thus, we’re left with this finish product, which is a total disaster in every way. Hopefully, in the very near future, we’ll no longer see offerings like this one that further mar the reputation of Christian entertainment.

Final Rating: -1 out of 10 points

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April 1, 2021 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Historical, Movie ReviewsTags: 2021, Adi Cohen, Alan Robertson, Alex J. Joseph, Allen Dixon, Alveda King, Amy Paffrath, Andrew Bath, Andrew Vogel, Ann Hamilton, BCL Finance Group, Brent Phillip Henry, Brett Beoubay, Bruce Coen, Carine Rice, Cathy Allyn, Chad Governale, Chéri Ballinger, Chelsea Bruland, Chris Lemmon, Christopher A. Ferrara, Corbin Bernsen, Courtney Friel, Craig Wayne Boyd, Diane Heavin, Drama, Elliott Grey, Frank R. Wilson, Gary Heavin, Greer Grammer, Historical, Jack Millard, James DuMont, Jamie Kennedy, Jarrett Ellis Beal, Jean Paul S. Afif, Jeffrey Baruch, Jennifer Titus, Jenny Taylor, Jessica Serfaty, Jessica Vargas, Jim Gleason, Joey Lawrence, John McConnell, John Schneider, Jon Voight, Jordan Salloum, Jordi Rediu, Justine Wachsberger, Katira Banks, Ken Davitian, Ken Kushner, Kirk W. Johnson, Laura Flannery, Lucy Davenport, Manny Fajardo, Michael Bassick, Michael Laundon, Mike Lindell, Miles Doleac, Milo Yiannopoulos, Mindy Robinson, negative points, Nick Byassee, Nick Loeb, Nigel Smith, Octavius Prince, Peter Thomson, Quiver Distribution, Richard Holden, Richard Portnow, Robert Davi, Roe v. Wade, Sharon Smith, Sherri Eakin, Smoke Shows & Clown Shows, Stacey Dash, Stephanie Honoré, Steve Guttenberg, Steve Monroe, Summer Joy Campbell, Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund, Susan LaBrecque, Tim Beasley, Tom Guiry, Troy Duhon, Upcoming Movies and Series, Wade Williams, Wanda Leigh, William Forsythe 7 Comments

Roe V. Wade (April 2021)

In select theaters April 2, 2021

Writer(s): Cathy Allyn, Nick Loeb

Director(s): Nick Loeb, Cathy Allyn

Producer(s): Alveda King, Cathy Allyn, Nick Loeb, Mindy Robinson

Starring: Jon Voight, Robert Davi, Corbin Bernsen, John Schneider, Stacey Dash, William Forsythe, Steve Guttenberg, Wade Williams, Richard Portnow, Greer Grammer, Ken Davitian, Chris Lemmon, Steve Monroe, Lucy Davenport, Sherri Eakin, Jim Gleason, Andrew Vogel, Allen Dixon, Chad Governale, Octavius Prince, Jarrett Ellis Beal, Summer Joy Campbell, Peter Thomson, Joey Lawrence, Milo Yiannopoulos, Robert Davi,

Plot Synopsis: Roe v. Wade chronicles the untold story of the infamous abortion enabling court case that impacted American history. It exposes the truth that a magnitude of lies has deprived millions of people of their human dignity and rights. Dr. Bernard Nathanson and Dr. Mildred Jefferson square off in a national battle in this untold conspiracy that led to the most famous and controversial court case in history.

November 20, 2018March 10, 2021 by amg16 Categories: Upcoming Movies and SeriesTags: Allen Dixon, Alveda King, Andrew Vogel, Cathy Allyn, Chad Governale, Chris Lemmon, Corbin Bernsen, Greer Grammer, Jarrett Ellis Beal, Jim Gleason, Joey Lawrence, John Schneider, Jon Voight, Ken Davitian, Lucy Davenport, Milo Yiannopoulos, Nick Loeb, Octavius Prince, Peter Thomson, Richard Portnow, Robert Davi, Roe v. Wade, Sherri Eakin, Stacey Dash, Steve Guttenberg, Steve Monroe, Summer Joy Campbell, Upcoming Movies and Series, Wade Williams 3 Comments

Same Kind of Different As Me (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Ron Hall is a successful art dealer who has it all—except for a successful marriage.  He and his wife Debbie have grown apart from each other, and he has been looking in the wrong directions for love.  His marital conflict has now come to a head, so Debbie decides to make Ron exit his safe, affluent world to come volunteer with her at the local homeless shelter.  While there, though his heart is not in the work at all, Ron forms an unlikely relationship with a violent homeless man whose story captivates Ron in a way he never expected.

 

Production Quality (2.5 points)

As a clearly well-funded and well-marketed production, Same Kind of Different As Me had a lot going for it from the get-go.  This production is obviously high quality in a lot of ways, including video quality, camera work, and audio quality.  The soundtrack is also very intriguing.  Sets, locations, and props are very well-constructed and utilized appropriately, especially the historical components in the flashbacks.  The only minor nitpick to note here pertains to some small editing issues, such as lagging scenes and awkward transitions.  Otherwise, this production is top-notch.

Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)

As Same Kind of Different As Me is based on a book and a true story, sometimes it seems like it’s too much like a book turned into a movie.  This is evident in unnecessary narration and obvious dialogue that tends to spoon-feed the story to the viewer.  Some of the characters tend to be portrayed too perfectly, yet this is a great true story despite these flaws.  The flashbacks are used in highly effective ways and are actually the highlights of the film because of the story they tell.  There are a lot of great messages and lessons to learn from this story, but we would have liked it if this film indulged less in drama and more in the opportunity it had to portray an epic story full of realistic, flawed, and accessible characters.  As mentioned before, there are too many lagging and choppy scenes that hurt this goal from coming to fruition.  However, there is enough good to make this at least an interesting movie to watch.

Acting Quality (2 points)

Though this movie is mostly professionally cast, there are a few issues that keep this section from being all that it could be.  For one, the lead actor and actress sometimes seem to be phoning in their performances, and at times they are too dramatic.  However, Djimon Hounsou and Jon Voight are particularly well-cast and well-acted; these two almost save this cast on their own.  Moreover, other cast members outside of Greg Kinnear and Renée Zellweger are also fine and post good performances.  In the end, this punctuates an above average film that could have gone further.

Conclusion

Same Kind of Different As Me had everything going for it, but it stopped just short of greatness.  The excellent true story and high amount of funding almost forced this film to be above-average from the beginning, but the pedestrian nature of its presentation and its over-indulgence in drama apart from character development tripped it up.  In the end, we can’t help but wonder if this was another one of those movies designed to make a quick cash grab at the theaters rather than make a real difference, which seems like the original intent of the book’s authors.  We may never know, but this is at least a fine film that most audiences will enjoy.

 

Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points

 

January 20, 2018January 2, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Historical, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, PsychologicalTags: 2017, 5.5 points, Alexander Foard, Ann Mahoney, Ashton Cotton, Austin Filson, Cale Boyter, Calvin Williams, Chris Bancroft, Dana Gourrier, Daniel Zacapa, Darren Moorman, Denver Moore, Disruption Entertainment, Djimon Hounsou, Geraldine Singer, Greg Kinnear, Hans Graffunder, Historical, Inspirational, Jeff Snyder, John Newburg, John Paesano, Jon Voight, Katie Calhoon, Kenda Benward, Lara Grice, Lynn Vincent, Mary Parent, Michael Carney, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Nyles Steele, Olivia Holt, One October Films, Paramount Pictures, Peyton Wich, Psychological, PureFlix, Renée Zellweger, Reserve Entertainment, Richard Graves, Ron Hall, Skodam Films, Stacy Hall, Stephanie Leigh Schlund, Stephen D. Johnston, Thomas Francis Murphy, Tonea Stewart, Ty Parker Leave a comment

Noah’s Ark [1999] (Series Review)

Plot Summary

If Hallmark is to be believed, Noah lived in Sodom with Lot and constantly tried to stop people around him from fighting wars.  Then a strange version of God decided to scare Noah into building an ark to save him and his white family.  Once on the ark, the storm comes, and Noah and her family are all stuck there.  Thus, they begin acting crazy and absurd until it’s finally all over with.

 

Production Quality (1.5 points)

Who knew Hallmark dabbled into Bible series in the 1990s?  For the most part, the production of Noah’s Ark is fine, especially when it comes to video quality and camera work.  However, there are some random lapses of audio quality throughout, along with a loud soundtrack.  Sets and locations are also somewhat limited considering the intended scope of this film, but props are fine.  There are also some very cheap special effects and obviously fake backgrounds, but the editing is surprisingly fine, and other elements show some improvement throughout.  In the end, this is just an average production, but there are a lot of other issues to point out in this series.

Plot and Storyline Quality (-1.5 points)

When a Bible movie or series begins with a disclaimer telling you that they took creative license with a historical account, they are basically telling you to get ready for a whole lot of crazy.  What is the actual point of altering historical accounts for fun?  What if somebody altered more recent historical accounts for personal enjoyment?  Trying to squeeze Lot, Sodom, and Gomorrah into the story of Noah is just all wrong and cripples this series before it even begins.  Besides these obvious problems, the portrayal of God in this series is downright strange and bizarre, but this is only a part of this series’ overall weirdness.  There are other bizarre characters and insinuations, fueled by strange dialogue and useless asides that waste time.  Along with this comes several off-the-wall attempts at comedy and some totally head-scratching drug-trip moments that come close to making this debacle a parody.  In short, there really isn’t much good to say about this section.

Acting Quality (1.5 points)

Like many attempts at bringing Bible stories to life, Noah’s Ark gives no care to cultural authenticity in casting, mixing American and BRITISH cast members of recognizable names to sell this show.  Besides this, the cast is overall too dramatic, even though they do have plenty of good moments.  The costuming is also fine, but it’s not enough to make this section any more than average.

Continuity Quality (1.5 points)

Though this ‘series’ only has two episodes, the continuity is mostly fine.  There are some interesting character arcs and story arcs, but the many blatant content errors are complete inexcusable.  Thus, this mishandling of historical fact brings this whole series down in flames.

Conclusion

Too often, Bible movies and series become about Hollywood trying to make some quick bucks on a Christian audience.  But don’t get too high and mighty, Christian film makers—you do it too.  Even Christians sometimes take great ‘creative’ license with historical accounts (see The Book of Esther).  The bottom line is that there are so few good Bible movies and series on the market, and this is an absolute travesty.  Biblical films and series should be the best of the best, not a laughingstock.  We’re still waiting for this day to come.

 

Final Rating: 3 out of 14 points

 

January 10, 2018January 19, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Biblical, Historical, Series ReviewsTags: 1999, Alexis Denisof, Babelsberg International Film Produktion, Bible, Biblical, Carol Kane, Daniel Daperis, Deni Gordon, Dino Marnika, Emily Mortimer, Evelyn Krape, F. Murray Abraham, Hallmark, Historical, Howard Stanley, James Coburn, John Irvin, Jon Voight, Jonathan Biggins, Jonathan Cake, Jonathan Encavey, Joseph Spano, Julie Day, Linda Ross, Mark Bazeley, Mary Steenburgen, Max Phipps, Monica Maughan, Paul Bertram, Paul Grabowsky, Peter Barnes, Robert Essex, Robert Halmi Sr., Sonya Walger, Stephen Jones, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Terry Norris, William Dayble 4 Comments

Woodlawn (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Coach Tandy Geralds only believes in what he sees in front of him.  All he sees is a broken high school in Alabama forced to integrate two racial groups who desperately do not want to associate with each.  Coach Geralds, also the assistant principle, is overworked, is unpopular with the school board, and is failing as a husband and father.  His players are frustrated with integration and racial tensions flare easily.  Tony Nathan, an underappreciated African-American athlete, is among them, yet he has been raised to treat people, regardless of skin color, the way Christ treated them.  Everything changes for the team one day when Hank, an itinerant and seemingly offbeat sports chaplain, convinces Coach Geralds to let him talk to the team.  At the end of his rope, Tandy reluctantly agrees.  What ensues from there is a miracle that transforms the football team, the high school, and the city.  One thing leads to another in a miracle season for the Woodlawn Colonels, but everything grinds to a halt one day when they are faced with adversity after adversity.  But in the grand scheme of things, each character learns in one way or another that there is one Way, one Truth, and one Life—Jesus.

 

Production Quality (3 points)

The Erwin team went all out for this blockbuster production that was designed to reach outside of the Christian movie circles.  The camera work is phenomenal, ranging from difficult football scenes to character canvasing.  As an epic, the story covers a lot of time, but the editing is seamless.  It is very difficult to make an epic without being too long or without letting important plot elements fall by the wayside.  The editing team walked this tightrope flawlessly.  The inclusion of alternate and historical footage throughout the movie is an artistic flair that was pulled off nicely.  This is not a cheap production, and it shows.

Plot and Storyline Quality (3 points)

As previously mentioned, epic plots are very hard to craft.  Too long, and the audience is lost.  Too quick, and no points are driven home.  Too often in potential epics, character development is discarded and scenes are wasted.  Neither of these mistakes occurred in Woodlawn.  Despite the large amount of plot and character content in this movie, nothing is missing.  The dialogue is concise yet profound.  There are no wasted scenes.  As a side note, Box Office Revolution maintains that movies based on real events are among some of the best on the market.  Nothing could be more true regarding Woodlawn.  The plot twists and turns just as real life does and the historical characters are adapted well.

Acting Quality (3 points)

BOR has long called the Erwin brothers the Masters of Casting.  There has never been a character in their movies that was not cast in the absolutely appropriate role.  Veterans Sean Astin, Nic Bishop, Sherri Shepherd, and Jon Voight are excellent in their roles, along with newcomers Caleb Castille and Joy Brunson.  All actors are coached well.

Conclusion

BOR can find no flaws in Woodlawn.  It also can be awarded the x-factor point for delivering an important topic packaged in a masterful epic.  The Erwin brothers have reached the pinnacle of their career, and there is no turning back now.  The Christian movie industry is at their fingertips, and BOR expects nothing less than the best.

 

Final Rating: 10 out of 10 points

January 23, 2016January 5, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Drama, Hall of Fame, Historical, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, Psychological, Romance, SportsTags: 10 points, 2015, Andrew Erwin, Bone Hampton, Brando Eaton, Brett Rice, C. Thomas Howell, Caleb Castille, Carlton Byrd, Danny Vinson, Devin Bright, DeVon Franklin, Epic, Erwin Brothers, Francesca Battistelli, Historical, Inspirational, Jason Burkey, Jeff Rose, Jet Jurgensmeyer, Jon Erwin, Jon Voight, Joy Brunson, Justin Tolley, Kelly Greyson, Kevin Downes, Kevin Sizemore, Kirk B.R. Woller, Lance Nichols, Lee Perkins, Marcus Henderson, Mark Burnett, Mark Shlabach, Michael Catt, Nic Bishop, Paul Mills, PureFlix, Quinton Peeples, Rhoda Griffis, Richard Kohnke, Roma Downey, Sean Astin, Sherri Shepherd, Sports, Steven Chester Prince, Todd Gerelds, Virginia Williams 9 Comments